1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dental handpiece, consisting of a connector portion and an elongated, exchangeable gripping sleeve portion coupled to the connector portion, including a treating implement arranged on the gripping sleeve end distant from the connector portion, wherein the connector portion incorporates a lightbulb or incandescent lamp, and the gripping sleeve portion includes a light conductor having the end thereof distant from the connector portion, directed towards the area of the implement, and whose end which is distant from the implement is suppliable with light from the incandescent lamp.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
A handpiece of that type has become known, for example, from the disclosure in German Laid-open Patent Application No. 31 32 995. Thus, there consists the need for coupling to the connector portion of such a handpiece, a gripping sleeve portion without a light conductor instead of a gripping sleeve portion with a light conductor, which is possible without any difficulty inasmuch as the coupling elements for those types of different gripping sleeve components are identical so as to; in essence, facilitate that kind of coupling action. Herein, however, it is disadvantageous that the lightbulb or incandescent lamp will burn in every instance; in effect, when a gripping sleeve component with a light conductor is coupled thereto, as well as when a gripping sleeve component without a light conductor is coupled thereto and, finally, also even when no gripping sleeve component at all is coupled thereto. Produced thereby is an unnecessarily high power consumption and an unnecessarily high degree of heating of the incandescent lamp while, moreover, its life expectancy is unduly shortened.